Pill splitters are common in the prior art, and are quite popular at the present time, especially because of the constantly increasing cost of prescription drugs, and the failure, or impossibility, of many users to obtain insurance which pays for much or all of their medication.
Many medications are marketed and priced in a limited variety of dosages whereas many patients require dosages that do not correspond to the standard dosages available from the manufacturers. In addition many medications are available in several different dosages, but with prices which do not vary proportionately to the dosage. In both instances, splitting pills of existing dosages ameliorates the problems presented.
Prior art pill splitters have addressed both problems. A pill splitter effective with Viagra pills, for instance, was the subject of U.S. Pat. No. 6,474,525, intended for customers dealing with the second of these problems.
Viagra is marketed in three different dosages: 25, 50, and 100 mg, all three of which are sold at the same price. Thus, a user having a prescribed dosage of 25 mg. could quarter the cost of his medication by purchasing one quarter the number of 100 mg pills, and splitting them in quarters.
A search of the prior art does not reveal any prior art quartering pill splitters of this nature. The present invention provides a quartering pill splitter, and includes the custom pill bed features of U.S. Pat. No. 6,474,525 effective for splitting pills which have different, complex shapes.
The present invention has been shown to accurately split a pill in four equal parts, resulting in precisely calibrated dosages.